PhilAnd is a six-year Advanced ERC project started in October 2017 at UCLouvain under the supervision of Prof. Godefroid de Callataÿ. The objective of PhilAnd is to conduct a large-scale exploration of how, and under which form, philosophy appeared for the first time in al-Andalus. At the crossroads of several major lines of enquiries in modern scholarship and in line with recent discoveries having important chronological implications, PhilAnd focuses on the 10th century, a period usually disregarded by historians on the assumption that philosophy as such was not cultivated in the Iberian Peninsula before the 11th-12th centuries. Its originality is also to put emphasis on ‘ill-defined’ materials and channels of transmission, a field which remains largely unexplored. PhilAnd is conducted in partnership with the Warburg Institute (University of London). More info at: https://sites.uclouvain.be/erc-philand/
As part of this project, 1 one-year post-doc position is offered at the UCLouvain, in close relation with one of the eight sub-projects of (SP) of PhilAnd:
- SP1: ‘Jābir ibn Ḥayyān’
- SP2: ‘Ikhwān al-Ṣafā’
- SP3: ‘Ibn Waḥshiyya’
- SP4: ‘Ibn Masarra’
- SP5: ‘Maslama Ibn Qāsim al-Qurṭubī’
- SP6: ‘Power, Religion and Wisdom: Bāṭinism between orthodoxy and heterodoxy in tenth-century al-Andalus’
- SP7: ‘Interconnections between Jewish and Islamic rationalistic forms of thought during the tenth century’
- SP8: ‘Science and Craft: the relations between the theoretical and practical sides of esoteric disciplines in al-Andalus and their link with craft’
The qualifications required for this position are:
- a PhD in Islamic Studies, in Middle Eastern Studies, or related fields;
- an excellent command of Classical Arabic (the knowledge of additional languages such as ancient Greek, Latin and in particular Hebrew is considered an advantage);
- a first-rate track record and research experience;
- publication of articles in peer-reviewed international journals or monographs with recognized academic publishers;
- academic writing and presentation skills in English (the working language of the project);
- the ability to work both individually and as part of a team.
This post-doc position is full-time equivalent. It is offered for a period of 12 months, to start no later than September 2022. The post-doc retained will be required to reside in Belgium for the whole period of their fellowship. He/she will be asked to contribute to the intellectual life of the ERC project and of the UCL.
How to apply ?
Applications should be made via pdf files and contain the following:
(1) a cover letter setting out the candidate’s qualifications and motivation for applying for one of the three positions offered (maximum 2 pages);
(2) a curriculum vitae (maximum 3 pages);
(3) a list of publications;
(4) two samples of published work (articles, chapters) in pdf (preferably in English);
(5) a transcript of grades and/or copy of the PhD certificate;
(6) the name (with title, affiliation and email) of four people who have accepted to be contacted as potential referees.
Applications should be made electronically and sent to the following address:
godefroid.decallatay[at]uclouvain.be
The application deadline is 15 March 2022
Candidates selected for the interviews will be contacted shortly after this date, and asked to write a short research design on a topic to be announced at that moment. Interviews will be arranged in April 2022.
Employment should become effective no later than 1 October 2022.
More information: here
